Mumsnet allplay tennis challenge feedback thread

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the 5 MNers who have been selected to take up the challenge of playing tennis - they are having private lessons and family court time.

We have some questions for you to answer - see below - and we will add some more questions once you've had a couple of lessons. All feedback very welcome!

~ Tell us about your first Cardio/Beginners/Individual session (what did it involve, how long did it take, who else was there etc.)?
~ What do you think of it?
~ What was the most enjoyable aspect of your session / of playing tennis? Was there anything that wasn't so good?
~ How, if at all, has it made you think differently about tennis?

For more about the allplay promotion: visit www.allplaytennis.com

Thanks

MNHQ

goingtoplaytennis - done! (thanks tech)

Lesson 2 went well, I think. No distraction from small people this time, just an hour by myself, I was amazed how fast it went - I was concentrating so hard I've given myself new wrinkles. I wish I'd had a chance to practice inbetween lessons but hopefully I'll get some practice in over the weekend.

Loving it. We're going to look at my serve next week

I really enjoyed lesson 4. We talked about tactics (recognising that you have to have reasonable technique first). So rather than hitting it back and forwards to each other, I had to try to spot gaps on court to hit into. Overhead smash is still not really in my repertoire but it's good to have goals!

We didn't do a family session at the weekend as DS was already down to play mini-red cluster matches on Sunday afternoon. He had a good time and awarded himself an ice-cream on winning a match

< hangs head, sorry Ann forgot camera >

Will there be another survey to complete or have I given enough feedback?

Right, just t let all know I've had a nightmare few weeks. Starting with flu, proper in bed for five days flu, followed by a seriously ill Uncle (days to live) and then losing my phone. I am going to get back in touch with tennis club and plough on if they're not too annoyed with me.

goingtoplaytennis - think you're done - thanks so much for all the feedback - glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks Ann. As I have finished can I request an Amazon voucher, thanks.

Sorry to hear of your tough time Posies. The club ought to be understanding.

Had a family session today. Felt a bit intimidated at first as all the other courts had serious players on. Ever the pragmatic I just drew the curtain across to stop our balls straying! Once we got into it more though we had a good time. It was necessary practice before my first foray into competition! Watch this space ....

For me, today was what entering this was all about. I joined DS on court and we played in a parent and child club competition. Had I not won these allplay lessons & had a great coach I would not have had the confidence to do that.

We had a laugh and won some and lost some. I was not the only mum to be confused by the mini-red scoring & even whose turn it was to serve! Big thumbs up to family tennis.

All good things must come to an end.....well the one-to-one coaching anyway. I've had my final lesson and we covered everything as a consolidation. Mike kindly also gave me some tips sheets to take away.

The whole experience has been brilliant fun. I have to say the staff at David Lloyd have all been great and very friendly. Special thanks to Mike who has been patience personified and Nicki, the sports manager.

For someone who gave up sport at school at 14 (that was allowed in ye olde days), winning this has been an eye opener. You can take up tennis when older and there will be others too who are not expert. The real bonus is that we will hopefully go forward as a tennis playing family - I won't just be a spectator.

So to the LTA and Mumsnet.

Sorry haven't updated - have had two sessions since the last post, one individual and one as part of a group.

In the individual one e worked on service, game play, positioning the ball and volleying. We played games using just the tramlines, or just volleying. Ben's coaching seems effortless - I don't stand hitting endless balls for the lesson but rather have rallies, try to win points etc and the learning is just implicit. Fantastic!

This week I joined a group class which was good - lots more game play but my ability to serve completely deserted me under "pressure" of playing even a tiny bit competitively which was frustrating. I would definitely sign up for more group classes in the future though, everyone was very friendly and we all got lots of coaching without having to stand about waiting our turn.

thanks again for all the feedback - do send me a picture of you and your coach if you haven't already...allplay would love to see you!

Lesson again today! (Finally! Court booked out for School competition, coach away in Boston for a week then scarlet fever struck so...)

I was really pleased with today's session - serves and all. Because it took a while to get going, today's lesson was lesson three and I'm beginning to feel muscle memory and habit start to build up. I've totally changed my backhand now, it's unrecognisable. And today my coach was a bit tougher on my fitness - I've come home elated at having exercised harder than I have in ages. Brilliant.

Can't wait for next week. We're having another family coaching session.

THANK YOU!!!!! [Fgrin]

I lack killer instinct! It's a problem. I need to channel my aggression in to serving and I'm just not doing it.

Next ( final, sob) lesson tomorrow. Still loving it.

Okay. So I finally resumed and am top spinning both forehand and back. I truly believe I've found my sport. I will get dh to type more when he gets home as I've injured myself ice skating

Last lesson of Allplay was on Tuesday, but definitely not last lesson! We've agreed with our coach that we'll go back in the new year.

We had our best lesson so far. All family on the court which was quite mental but lots of fun. Mhairi did lesson with the DCs first, with us a 'team leaders' helping the boys balance the ball on their racquets and do little races and games. The she took DS1 for 15 mins and DS2 for 15 mins then DH for the last bit while we went off to get water. It was brilliant, especially seeing how much the DCs enjoyed it. There were 'big boys' playing on the court beside us and I think that's been inspiring for both DSs in itself.

We've loved doing the Challenge. We felt we could have benefited from there being a bit more time to practise in between the lessons so that we could have got more out of them. But essentially we have been converted into a tennis-playing household from being a non-tennis one and I hope it'll stay that way. DH says that he would play tennis every day if he could. And I'm now helping with a project to save some local tennis courts which have fallen out of use (Penicuik Tennis Club - Save Kirkhill Courts).

While we've been doing the Challenge it's sparked loads of conversations amongst our friends about tennis. Quite a few of our friends play, but very few of them have got racquets for their children. I think a huge factor of this is not the one-off cost of the racquets or balls but the cost of court time. At £22.50 an hour (cost of courts where we are) that's not an unreasonable activity cost split between two adults going to play on an evening after work, but it's a massive amount for a parent to spend just on an hour of knock about time for 2-6yos. There aren't many parents who'd shell out like that very often.

To get any good, though, it's hours on the courts that DCs like mine would need, and so that means the commitment of clubs and times and course fees and all that signing up for an activity entails. Basically, it's just a lot easier and cheaper to play football or have the odd swim or take a cricket bat and ball to the park when you feel like going. And if those sports are easier and cheaper to practise and get started in then I guess those will be the ones parents gravitate towards and encourage their children in.

I can see that once tennis is established as a child's hobby and they've joined a club, etc, then the costs/time and travel commitments are comparable to other hobbies. It's just the getting started bit. It does seem a shame that 'messing about time' on a court should be so expensive. FWIW, the council has provided free basketball courts in the park in my town and there is never anyone on them. I'm sure if they were tennis courts it would be a different story!

Thanks again.

Just thought I'd share that on the back of this I am now a regular tennis player, I go to two drop in classes and have a coach once a week!!

Thanks MN.